The nation of Uganda appears ready to relive the Idi Amin era of brutality. Jim Burroway has the details on this astonishingly vile piece of legislation under consideration, the Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2009:

The proposed bill would:

* Reaffirm the lifetime sentence currently provided upon conviction of homosexuality, and extends the definition from sexual activity to merely “touch[ing] another person with the intention of committing the act of homosexuality.”

* Create a new category of “aggravated homosexuality” which provides for the death penalty for “repeat offenders” and for cases where the individual is HIV-positive.

* Criminalizes all speech and peaceful assembly for those who advocate on behalf of LGBT citizens in Uganda with fines and imprisonment of between five and seven years.

* Criminalizes the act of obtaining a same-sex marriage abroad with lifetime imprisonment.

* Adds a clause which forces friends or family members to report LGBT persons to police within 24-hours of learning about that individual’s homosexuality or face fines or imprisonment of up to three years.